Liverpool in negotiations with Honda?

We are rapidly approaching half way this season, and with a miserable start rumors about who possibly will replace Roy Hodgson will not go away.

The name that keeps coming back is Frank Rijkaard who is, according to FootyLatest almost certain to be the next Liverpool manager

Money has flooded in to some bookies in recent days and now William Hill go massive odds on that Rijkaard will be named as the next manager at Anfield.

Elsewhere there is a player that seems almost certain to be headed for Anfield in January...

Liverpool's interest in Japanese star Keisuke Honda is apparently leading to action, as the team is reportedly commencing negotiations with the CSKA attacker.

Honda, who is valued at £12m, can play in any attacking role -- midfield, on the wing, or as a second striker -- and is one of the world's best set-piece takers.

His performances in the World Cup were so impressive that Arsene Wenger called him a "genius" and "the best player in the competition." Still, it is Liverpool - not Arsenal - that appear to be favorites to land him, while AC Milan is in the mix as well, according to GiveMeFootball.

Sankei Sports has reported that CSKA management is willing to part with Honda for the right price.

- We will not lock our players in. If the bid is fair, we respect the players' will, they have said.

Honda has long been assumed to be on the move to a bigger club.

Another familiar face is appearing on the radar; Liverpool are now being linked with a shock January move for former striker Djibril Cisse.

The French international forward is reportedly on the verge of a Panthanaikos exit, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is one of a number of Premier League managers thought to be considering a move for the player, Metro reports.

Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier is also thought to be interested in the player, and could use his French connections in a bid to bring the player to Villa Park.

Fulham manager Mark Hughes is the other interested party, with the Cottagers viewing the player as a second option should they fail to land Roque Santa Cruz from Manchester City.

However, reports from France and the continent claim that Liverpool could make a substantial offer for the 29-year-old striker in the opening month of 2011.

A move would see Cisse return to Anfield, where he signed in 2004 and won a Champions League medal the following season. His two-season stint on Merseyside was interrupted by a leg break though, and the mercurial striker could have unfinished business with Liverpool.

An earlier reported Liverpool transfer target is out of favour Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra.

The Real Madrid midfielder is heavily linked with a Santago Bernabeu exit in the opening month of 2011, and Spurs are thought to have joined Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson in the race to sign the player, GiveMeFootball writes.

Diarra has Premier League experience through his time at Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth. Sold to Madrid for a fee in the region of £20 million, Diarra appears out-of-the frame under Jose Mourinho.

Resigned to a substitutes role with Los Blancos, Liverpool have highlighted the player as someone who could strengthen the Reds' squad at Anfield following a difficult start to the season.

Also Sportsvibe now reports that Redknapp has highlighted the player to his board at Tottenham Hotspur, with the club keen to strengthen as they challenge on several fronts this season.

Liverpool are after Hamburg winger Jonathan Pitroipa, according to The People.

The Burkina Faso international is allegedly being closely monitored by the Merseysiders and Reds scouts have been watching the 24-year-old with a view to launching a January bid.

Roy Hodgson was alerted to the talents of the Pitroipa when he impressed against his Fulham side in last season's Europa League, and the Liverpool boss has since thought to have kept a keen eye on his progress.

The former SC Freiburg attacker could be available to Liverpool for around £5 million and would fit with Hodgson's pledge to add more potency to his Anfield frontline.

Yet another new name: Birmingham defender Scott Dann is a possible transfer target for both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur according to reports from Sky Sports.

The 23-year-old has been earning rave reviews since moving from Coventry to Birmingham City and has been tipped for an England call-up in recent weeks after a number of eye-catching performances at the heart of the Blues defence.

A number of clubs are believed to be tracking the former England Under-21 international who has formed an impressive partnership with tough tackling defender Roger Johnson.

Liverpool are reportedly ready to make a move for Dann in January after finding out that Jamie Carragher has been ruled out of action for three months with a dislocated shoulder.

The Reds defence has struggled to keep clean sheets this season with Daniel Agger currently ruled out for the foreseeable future and Glen Johnson also having missed a number of games through injury.

- Obviously the speculation linking me with some top clubs in the Premier League is flattering, Dann told skysports.com.

- Ultimately it is my ambition to play at the highest level with a major club like it is for any player, but for the time being I am happy playing at Birmingham and I am focused on doing my best for the club, he says.